Chapter 240 Jiang Yuncheng, Jiang Tiezhu?
"What do you know about Bai... Er Ya? Can you tell us?" Jiang Xingyao asked tentatively.
The most crucial thing now is to get information out of Jiang Yuncheng. The pretext this family came up with for collecting debts is undoubtedly a good opportunity to exploit.
The old lady said, "You want to collect the debt from Er Ya? Well... that might not work. Er Ya's family are all very lazy."
They hadn't treated Er Ya well before, and even the fact that Er Ya came back to pick up Ji Zu was something we hadn't expected. Asking her to help pay off the debts? Impossible, impossible.
The old lady kept shaking her head. Jin Qingyu said, "Please tell us, madam, whether we can get it back or not. We should at least try."
Aunt Hongxia poked her head out from the kitchen: "Actually, there's not much to say. It's just that her family favored boys over girls. She dropped out of school after finishing high school and left with Tiezhu from the village. Even when her parents passed away, they didn't come back."
We don't know where she went, or whether the two of them got married, and we certainly haven't heard anything about a wedding banquet.
Iron Pillar?
Upon hearing this name, even Jiang Xingyao, who is usually very calm, couldn't help but twitch her lips.
“Jiang Tiezhu?” she asked.
Aunt Hongxia said, "Yes, yes, it's Jiang Tiezhu. They're from the poorest family here. These two have been together since they were little. Er Ya's family didn't like Tiezhu, but Er Ya liked him. Tiezhu was a good student, and after he got into university, Er Ya ran off with him."
Before coming to this Calabash Village, Jiang Xingyao had no idea that Jiang Yuncheng had such a past, especially the name Tiezhu. Every time she heard it, Jiang Xingyao felt uncomfortable and felt sorry for Qu Xinting.
She still couldn't understand how the only daughter of the prestigious Qu family, the heir, and with a childhood sweetheart like Zhou Keyuan, could have been bewitched by Jiang Yuncheng.
Just as Jiang Xingyao was thinking about how to get information out of him without being abrupt, Aunt Hongxia suddenly muttered to herself, "Oh, speaking of which, I think I saw Tiezhu come back the day before yesterday."
Jiang Xingyao's eyes lit up; she really hadn't expected to get the answer so easily. Just as she was about to ask further, Jin Qingyu reached out and stopped her.
Jiang Xingyao also realized that they had initially been asking Bai Jizu, and that being too enthusiastic towards Jiang Yuncheng at this time would inevitably overshadow the main topic.
Aunt Hongxia then muttered to herself, "It's strange, these two people had never been back to the village before, but they've been coming back one after another these past few days."
Jin Qingyu said, "Does Aunt Hongxia know where Tiezhu is now? He might still be in contact with Bai Jizu's family. We'd like to go and ask him."
“Well… young man, I advise you not to have too much hope. That person… well, even if you find him, he might not say anything to you,” Aunt Hongxia said.
When Jiang Yuncheng was mentioned, she shook her head, and it was clear from her attitude that she didn't like him either.
Jin Qingyu sighed: "We have to try. To be honest, we know it won't be easy to get this money back, but we're facing some real difficulties at home right now, which is why we thought we'd try our best to come and see."
The food in the pot was bubbling and steaming. Aunt Hongxia hesitated for a moment before saying, "I do know where he is. Okay, after we finish eating, I'll give you directions, but don't get your hopes up too high."
At the dinner table, Jin Qingyu subtly probed for information about the three people.
After the meal, Jin Qingyu left some banknotes for the family, and Aunt Hongxia also gave them directions.
Knowing Jiang Yuncheng's name in Hulu Village made it much easier for them to find him.
According to Aunt Hongxia, Jiang Yuncheng's house was in the most remote corner of the village, near the foot of the mountain. As the two walked along, a dilapidated house gradually came into view, without even a courtyard wall, just a few small huts.
Looking inside, it seemed you could still see that the room was completely dark.
Just as the two were about to enter, Jiang Xingyao caught a glimpse of a figure running towards the mountain in the distance. She recognized the figure all too well; it was Jiang Yuncheng.
Jiang Xingyao shouted loudly, "Jiang Tiezhu, don't run away!"
Jin Qingyu reacted instantly and chased after the direction the other party had left in, with Jiang Xingyao quickly following behind.
Because of the recent rain, the mountain road was rugged, muddy, and slippery. Jiang Xingyao's only thought now was to keep Jiang Yuncheng here as soon as possible.
Running on such a surface was unfamiliar and difficult for her. After only a few steps, she tripped and fell heavily.
Hearing the commotion, Jin Qingyu, who was ahead, paused. Jiang Xingyao said, "Don't worry about me, go after him first."
Jiang Yuncheng grew up here, so the muddy road didn't bother him much. Seeing that he was about to disappear into the forest, Jin Qingyu said, "Wait for me here, don't wander off."
Jiang Xingyao knew she couldn't catch up even if she followed, so just in case, she lagged behind and called the police.
After explaining the situation to the police, she couldn't just wait there, so she quickly followed the footsteps left by the two men up the mountain.
The rain, which had stopped in the afternoon, started falling again now, the raindrops pattering on the leaves, making a rustling sound that echoed through the quiet mountain forest.
The deeper she went, the quieter the forest became. Jiang Xingyao could no longer see the two people in her sight. She quickened her pace and only saw Jin Qingyu when she was almost halfway up the mountain.
There was only Jin Qingyu.
Jiang Yuncheng has disappeared without a trace.
For some reason, Jiang Xingyao suddenly had a bad feeling and she quickly ran towards Jin Qingyu.
Jin Qingyu frowned as he looked at Jiang Xingyao. The woman's face and body were soaked by the rain, and even her knees were covered in mud. She was disheveled, and even her delicate features were weakened by her current disheveled appearance. Jin Qingyu said, "Why did you catch up with me? Didn't I tell you to wait at the foot of the mountain?"
"He ran away?" Jiang Xingyao asked.
Just as Jin Qingyu was about to reply, a rustling sound came from the bushes beside them. Jiang Xingyao's unease intensified. Her fingers curled and unfolded repeatedly, finally gently hooking the corner of Jin Qingyu's shirt.
Jin Qingyu seemed to be stunned for a moment, then reached out and grabbed Jiang Xingyao's hand in his own.
The warm temperature enveloped her, but Jiang Xingyao's heart still couldn't calm down. There were still sounds coming from the grass, like someone breathing heavily.
Jin Qingyu led Jiang Xingyao a little closer and saw Jiang Yuncheng crouching and staggering deeper into the cave. He must have fallen as well, as his leg still looked a little limped.
He glanced back at the two of them, looking even more panicked, and ran forward, using both hands and feet.
At that speed, it's easy for someone to catch up.
But instead of feeling joy, Jiang Xingyao felt even more uneasy.
Jin Qingyu led Jiang Xingyao to chase after them. The forest was full of fallen leaves, so they didn't take any. Just as the two were about to catch up with Jiang Yuncheng, Jiang Xingyao suddenly lost her footing and fell straight down.
All she could hear was the howling of the wind. Her hand, which was tightly gripping his, did not loosen. To be precise, without warning, Jin Qingyu was also pulled down by her.
In just a moment, Jiang Xingyao seemed to lose the ability to think. She closed her eyes tightly and looked like a stiff puppet.
In a daze, she felt Jin Qingyu lift her up and turn her body over. Soon after, she heard a muffled groan, and her suspended body finally landed on solid ground.
Jiang Xingyao only felt a huge impact, but not much pain. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Jin Qingyu, who was pale.
Fortunately, he did not faint, and Jiang Xingyao gradually calmed down.
She looked up and saw only a hole about two meters in diameter.
The opening was at least two meters away from her, and because it had rained, the edges were wet and slippery, making it almost impossible for her to climb up by herself.
Jiang Yuncheng was lying on the cave entrance, looking down at Jiang Xingyao: "Yaoyao, don't blame your father for being heartless, you forced me to do this!"
As he spoke, he produced a fine fishing net from somewhere and covered the entrance to the hole. Then he grabbed a lot of fallen leaves and kept sweeping them over the entrance.
Sparse bits of soil swept down from above the cave entrance, and Jiang Xingyao could sense that Jiang Yuncheng intended to suffocate the two of them here.
Jiang Xingyao said, "Jiang Yuncheng, do you know that you are committing murder?"
"This is a trap the village set to catch wild boars. You were just unlucky to fall into it. What does it have to do with me?" Jiang Yuncheng sneered, his hands moving faster and faster, making the opening of the hole smaller and smaller.
Soon, the last bit of light disappeared, and the surroundings seemed to be plunged into endless darkness.
Jiang Xingyao called Jiang Yuncheng again, but there was no response from above. Jin Qingyu gently pulled Jiang Xingyao's hand: "Don't call anymore, Yaoyao, it's no use."
Jiang Xingyao also realized what was happening and quickly came over to check on Jin Qingyu. However, it was too dark around them, and not a single ray of light could penetrate. She couldn't see anything and could only cautiously ask, "How are you now? Did you bump into anything?"
Jin Qingyu said, "Fortunately, this trap has probably been there for a while. There are many fallen leaves below, and the soil is soft, so it's nothing serious."
Moreover, Jiang Yuncheng said that this was a trap for catching wild boars, but it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. There were no sharp spikes or animal traps underneath, which was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Jiang Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a sense of defeat. She said, "He still got away. It's all my fault for missing a step just now."
"It has nothing to do with you, Yaoyao. Don't blame yourself for the mistake," Jin Qingyu said. He calmed down a bit, propped himself up on the ground, and groped for his phone. The screen lit up, but there was no signal.
Jiang Xingyao also took out her phone, but it also had no signal.
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